Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Coat Debacle and Thoughts on Weather

(Disclaimer: This post is a couple of days old... I have do admit that - once again - I fell asleep while blogging. I know. - I know. )

So, lets talk about the weather for a minute. I am not a huge fan of the Baltimore summers (too much heat, too much humidity, too many big, big bugs), the Baltimore fall, however, it a beautiful thing.
Today, I woke up to another day of deep blue sky and temperatures in the upper 70s. It felt much warmer in the sun, so everyone here in the house agreed that - despite what the thermometer said - it was probably in the upper 80s. Flip-flops, skirt, and T-shirt and tomorrow is the 1st of October. I'm a fan.

Just before it could get uncomfortably warm, I am going to fly back home to colder fall weather.

... and this is where the debacle begins. I need a winter coat. The one I used to have was the perfect coat. It was comfortable, warm, looked great, and lasted for 9 (!!!) years. During the last winter, however, it began falling apart. I'm not talking about buttons falling off, but me sitting in a lecture and realizing I had a huge whole in my sleeve. The fabric just dissolved.

Nick and I decided, it would be a great idea to buy a coat while I'm here, since clothing is somewhat less expensive in the U.S. and I now know the stores much better on this side of the ocean than over in Germany.

However, for some reason, I find all coats ugly. Well, not all coats, but most of them. Plus, in the stores, they are just getting the first ones in and the selection is really small. When I went to the mall and asked for coats, while wearing my flip flops and a short skirt, people told me that the season isn't even here yet and I should be patient. True, but I'm leaving in a couple of days and my time is running out.

So I have been texting pictures back and forth with Nick, who is trying to help find the right thing. I just want a black, nicely cut, wool-mix coat, of length that will allow me to wear it with pants or a skirt, that is warm enough and of good quality. That's it.
It can either have a zipper or buttons, can be hooded or not, can have a belt or not...

Why is this so difficult? I found a couple of coats that were not even fitting what I was looking for, but they were okay. However, I felt that they would fall apart after the first winter and not keep me warm at all. So the voice of reason told me it's not a good idea to waste spend $200 on something that doesn't do what a coat should be doing.
Aside from this, whats with all those diagonal zippers, terrible colors, and big, clunky golden closures?! ... and don't get me started on the incredibly awful and cheap "faux fur". Just call it what it is: fake fur. Just because you are using French, doesn't make it look better. There is nothing wrong with fur imitations. Don't get me wrong. I would never buy real fur. That is completely out of the question.
However, slapping a "faux fake fur" (that looks like it is even too cheap for the dollar store) around the hood, doesn't justify a coat to be $100 more expensive. Can't you make nicer fake things that don't look like Christmas decorations (have you seen those black fur glittery things)?!

I am so frustrated over this that I wish I had never thrown out my old coat. I loved that thing. Maybe I should have patched it up and called it a day.

Then, I walked into Nordstrom. It was life changing. They only had about 15 different coats to chose from (again, because it's still "summer"), but I found THE coat right away. I was so happy and couldn't wait to try it on.

A nice sales lady came running, helped me into the coat, and told me "yes, this really is the nicest coat"... Then I saw the price tag and almost gagged. $995. I am not kidding you when I say that I have never taken off a coat this quickly.

While being ridiculously expensive would already be enough, it also runs really small. We don't like things that suggest that we got bigger. No, Burberry, we don't.
Yet, the coat is gorgeous.

Now let me ask you, there is lots of discussing about how much to spend on things like your wedding dress, or outfits for one special occasion. Do you think that buying a winter coat for $1000 bucks is reasonable, because you will (hopefully) wear it on a daily basis numerous years? Or do you think this is completely out of this world and stupid expensive and nobody should ever spend this much money on one piece of clothing?
If you had the money, would you buy it? Or do you think this is just rude? - For me this is quickly answered, since I am still a student (and have been all my life, so H&M is my kind of price range), but what do you think about this?

And if there was one piece of clothing you really would pay whichever price it says on the tag - what would that be? Running shoes? Running clothes? Wedding dress? Jeans? Shoes in general? A hat?
(After all, we know how Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie would answer this...)

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This is me

Hello and welcome to Stina On The Move! My name is Christina and I am an aspiring runner, who just moved to Berlin.
Originally, I am from Germany, but I met my husband in the US, where we lived in Maryland for a few years. Life has taken us to several places and we love to explore everything close and far from us. We have a dog, Lucy, who moved with us and is keeping us company.
My blog is about running, food, living in a new place, and randomness along the way.
I am always happy to meet new people, so feel free to email me!